The present invention comprises a new Verbena, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name ‘Lan Dareda.’
‘Lan Dareda’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar ‘Lan Dareda’ has dark red-colored large flowers with vigorous and free-branching, mounding and outwardly spreading growth habit, medium yellow-green foliage and an exceptional tolerance to powdery mildew.
‘Lan Dareda’ originated from a hybridization in a controlled breeding program in Gilroy, Calif. USA. The female parent was an unpatented hybrid seedling identified as ‘04-1801-3’ with red color. ‘04-1801-3’ has lighter red colored flowers, larger foliage, and a little more compact plant habit ‘Lan Dareda.’
The male parent of ‘Lan Dareda’ was a patented commercial variety identified as ‘Aztec Velvet Red’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,667). ‘Aztec Velvet Red’ has smaller flower size, shorter and lighter green peduncles, and smaller foliage size than ‘Lan Dareda.’
‘Lan Dareda’ was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in May 2005 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif. USA. The pollination took place in May 2004 and the seed sown in March 2005.
The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘Lan Dareda’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in the May 2005 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif. USA.
Horticultural examination of plants grown from cuttings of the plant initiated in May 2005 in Gilroy, Calif. USA, and continuing thereafter, has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for ‘Lan Dareda’ are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
‘Lan Dareda’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length.
A Plant Breeder's Right for this cultivar was applied for in Canada on Dec. 24, 2007. ‘Lan Dareda’ has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.